Others in the fray include Vir Singh, who is already a Rajya Sabha member from Moradabad and is seeking a second term, former BSP Lok Sabha member Brijlal Khabri from Jalaun, and Raja Ram, a sitting member of the state legislative council from Azamgarh.

The contestants filed their nominations Thursday afternoon.

BSP chief Mayawati also handpicked the party’s Punjab state president Avtar Singh Karimpuri for one of the Uttar Pradesh seats in the Rajya Sabha.

While four of the candidates belong to the scheduled castes, two are from the upper castes.

Akhilesh Das was the only new entrant in the party to have been rewarded with a Rajya Sabha nomination.

Biennial elections to the Rajya Sabha will be held Nov 21 to fill 10 vacancies from Uttar Pradesh.